Rukia and I
by Rukie Martinez
Summary: in episode 32 we see Renji's and Rukia's past. Well here it is again, but without all Tite Kubo's cuts. Plus it shows in between scenes of scenes! Very romantic! Please read! Rated T just in case.


_The day my parents left me all alone in the rain was the last time I cried. The day my parents had told me we were to go to the park was the last time I smiled. The day my heart broke into hundred of pieces was the day I met her and I let her go. _

**We Begin Believing in Not Hope But Fear **

"Get back here, you punks!" the old man cried, chasing four miserable good for nothing kids down the dirt road.

"Renji! What are we going to do? He's gaining up on us!" Mokio screamed, glancing back at the old man with a knife. "I think we really pissed him off this time!"

"Keep going!" I cried, still running down the dirt road as fast as I could. My friends were starting to slow down and I felt legs begin to slow down as well. But I had made the promise to feed all the homeless kids even if it had cost me my life.

Soon, before my eyes could focus on the now present scene, everyone had stopped. Even me. I watched as a girl, our age, beat down the adult. She used some type of fighting skill to protect us. Her eyes were very fierce but she didn't even as much glance as us as she told us to follow her. Being shocked, we did as we were told.

We followed the small petite girl towards what happened to be our destination. She turned her head half way towards us and smiled unevenly. She then collapsed on the floor.

"What do we do with her, Renji?" Hanau had asked, looking at me. I stared at the young girl for a long while. What were we to do? Could we really afford to take in another mouth to feed? Clearly she was starving and weak. I looked at my friends and nodded.

"We'll take her in. It's not like we can just ignore her."

They nodded and helped me carry her into the house. We placed her onto the bed. I soon began dividing up all the candy and water we had stolen from the old man. There seemed to be enough to feed everyone, even the girl. So no one made any big fuss about the new girl. She had wakened up in the middle of my diving.

"What is this place?" she asked, sitting up straight. Hands on her knees and legs to the side.

"Orphanage. Although the owner died a few weeks ago we have been able to keep everyone alive and healthy-ish." I looked at the way she looked at me. As though she was almost impressed that kids could take care of other kids.

"You got a name, girly?" I asked, putting the candy in small brown bags so no one would drop their share.

"Rukia" She looked at her hands as she began to fiddle with her thumbs.

"I'm Renji. The leader of these kids. That's Mokio, Hanau, and Izyama. The rest of the guys can introduce themselves to you later. But now it's time to eat!"

I had my friends pass around the candy and water. I shoved a sharing at Rukia. She looked at it surprised.

"F-For me?" she took the bag willingly and smiled then frowned again. "What is it?"

"It's candy! Haven't you ever had it before?" I couldn't keep the excitement out of my voice. The frail girl just shook her head and looked at it. She then sniffed it. "Try it. It's really good"

She laughed lightly. "Okay!"

Before she was to take the first piece into her mouth the scene was interrupted by a fight.

"Give it back!" a squeaky voice screamed.

An older kid of the group had taken away a younger kid's sharing and was planning on eating it all for himself. Of course, that made me mad. I began to walk to the scene to put an end to it, but Rukia stood up and walked passed me and to them.

The little boy attempted to grab the bag but it turned out to rip and go all over the floor.

"Hey! Who do you think you are? Stealing from a little boy? Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" her voice didn't show any sign of fear what so ever.

"Why you!"

He began to try to fight her, but before the hour had ended she had pinned him down on the ground. She sat on him, clutching his throat.

"We all feel pain! We all feel the hunger and sadness as everyone else! If we begin to mistreat each other then we are no better then those adults outside! So let's just get along, alright?"

He nodded and she got up. She walked over to the boy and gave him her sharing of the candy. The boy sniffled and everyone watched her leave.

It was several moments until I decided that I would go talk to her. I chased after her and found nothing. I began searching around the building and around the huge tree in front of the house. Rukia was no where to be found.

"Looking for me?"

I began looking around me then finally I realized she had climbed the tree and sat on one of the low branches. She smirked as she noticed my face got red. I could just feel the heat rushing into my face and the fact that she was just watching it all.

"Pfft! Why would I be looking for you?" I folded my arms on cross of my chest and looked away. She began laughing again.

"You're so weird!"

I couldn't help the blush on my face, but at the same time I snapped.

"Oh yeah? One day I'm going to be a soul reaper! I'll show you! I'm going to be the best there is out there! Do you hear me?"

She smiled at me and I stopped. We held a long moment together. My blush deepened and she began to laugh again. I turned away and walked away.

I went back inside the house and saw the boy laughing with his age group of friends. He had shared the candy with his friends.

"I'm going to be like her one day! I'm gonna save the kids when they need help!" The young boy put his fist in the air and I noticed the determined look in his face.

"But you're a boy, silly! She's a girl. You can't be like her" his friend teased.

I couldn't stop my hand from hitting his friend over the head. "So what? So what if he looks up to a girl? We all do it for our mommies' right? So don't tease him about that!"

I walked to Mokio and sighed.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

I didn't answer and just stared out the window. There Rukia was. She was on solid ground now, but she was talking to some older kids who seemed to be ganging up on her.

I rushed out the house and to her side.

"Rukia!"

Rukia turned her head to look at me, and that's when the older kids knocked her down. She grunted and seemed like she couldn't get up. She was still weak from hunger.

I ran to her side and looked up at the older kids.

"You don't look so tough now, kid. You think you can just push around your elders?"

Rukia had stood up by this time, but she didn't look mad at all. Actually she looked almost proud.

"I will respect those who earn my respect. If you go around pushing smaller kids your size then that makes you idiots not my elders" the whole time her eyes had hardened into the eyes of a grown-up's.

"Why you?" he tried to swing for her, but I, for some reason, knocked him down with the same move she had used on the old man earlier. Rukia gasped slightly at the sudden outburst.

"Why are you helping her, Renji? She doesn't belong here! She's just taking away more food for the rest of us!" I punched the boy.

"She does belong with us! She always has! If you don't accept her in with arms wide open then I'll kick you out! Don't forget that even though you're older you came to ME on your knees begging for shelter and food! So don't assume you decide who gets to eat and who gets to die!"

"Y-Yes sir…"

Soon he was off.

I held my hand to Rukia. She looked at me, and she looked kind of hurt. But she just smiled. I knew that something was up, but she said nothing…she never really did.

But at that moment I soon realized that she would become the center of my world. My best friend.


End file.
